Who Would Fall in Love After Being Reborn?
Chapter 76: Take a Break, Stop Touching

TL: Etude

Beneath the twilight, the lake brimmed with water.

Just as Jiang Qin sat down by a stone, Su Nai’s call came through. She informed him that the voting system was ready to go live. There were some minor bugs in the real-time ranking, but it was nothing major. Like the previous website launch, they could start using it and make improvements along the way.

Jiang Qin nodded as he listened to her report, when suddenly he heard Feng Nanshu hum softly.

Understanding her hint, he gently lessened the strength of his hand, shifting from pinching to a gentle hold. His palm moved slightly, feeling the softness and warmth, reminiscent of jade.

“Why aren’t you speaking, boss?” Su Nai’s voice came from the other end of the phone.

Jiang Qin snapped back to reality. “Oh, could you contact Lu Xuemei? Ask her if the banner for the redirection page is ready.”

“Sure,” Su Nai replied crisply.

“And one more thing, check with Wei Lanlan. Tongxing Driving School seems interested in sponsoring our event. Tell them to coordinate everything well. We should aim high for the sponsorship fee, don’t let poverty limit our imagination.”

“What if they don’t agree to a high fee?”

“If they don’t, we’ll find someone else. But we must not settle for less. If the sponsorship fee is too low, it sets a bad precedent for future advertising rates. They’ll argue, ‘You charged so little for the sponsorship, how can you ask for more for advertising?’ This can create resistance. But if the sponsorship fee is high and advertising rates are low, it appears as a bargain. Our worth is not determined by others, but by ourselves.”

“Is that so? I got it, boss.”

Su Nai, now familiar with Jiang Qin’s complex thought processes, ended the call to proceed with the tasks.

Meanwhile, Feng Nanshu sat sideways, her gaze soft as she looked at the lake, feeling a ticklish sensation on her feet, occasionally humming.

“Does your foot still hurt?” Jiang Qin suddenly asked.

Feng Nanshu was puzzled for a moment. “I didn’t say my foot hurts.”

“Nonsense. If your foot didn’t hurt, why would I be massaging it right now?” Jiang Qin replied, looking every bit the gentleman.

Feng Nanshu glanced at her petite leather shoes. “Jiang Qin, you took off my shoes and socks. I couldn’t even stop you.”

“I definitely wouldn’t do such a thing. You must have taken off your shoes and socks yourself while I was on the phone. Don’t you know there’s a study that says people subconsciously take things handed to them while they’re on the phone?”

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Feng Nanshu looked confused and decided not to speak, simply enjoying the kneading of her toes, her eyes bright and clear.

Jiang Qin continued to massage, his mind still pondering over the sponsorship fee.

In the early stages of the forum, traffic was sufficient, but the conversion rate was uncertain. Under such circumstances, Tongxing Driving School would be reluctant to spend a lot on sponsorship, especially with everything still unclear.

This meant Wei Lanlan and Tan Qing would likely face difficulties.

However, there was no choice. The “ceiling” must be set high for future negotiations to be easier.

Besides, a “campus beauty” contest is a one-time event. If a school held it every term, its value would diminish greatly.

Therefore, this one opportunity must be used to secure room for future bargaining.

But the crucial question was the maximum amount Tongxing Driving School was willing to pay.

Their registration fee was 3,200 yuan, and after some calculations, Jiang Qin estimated that their upper limit should be around 60,000 yuan.

If it exceeded 60,000, Tongxing Driving School would likely give up the sponsorship.

But Jiang Qin wasn’t satisfied. He felt the price could be pushed higher. The problem was, apart from Tongxing Driving School, no other business had the capacity.

He knew he had to prepare for both possibilities, to avoid coming up empty-handed.

“Jiang Qin…”

“Yes?”

“Take a break, stop touching.”

Jiang Qin looked up and realized that his hand had unknowingly moved up to Feng Nanshu’s smooth and slender leg. The touch was delicate and sleek, firm yet evenly toned. The little rich lady was holding down her skirt with one hand, her gaze watery as she looked at him.

Witnessing this scene, Jiang Qin lifted his hand in disbelief.

Could it be…

Did his hand really have a mind of its own?

At 10:30 p.m., Feng Nanshu was escorted back to her dorm by Jiang Qin. As soon as she entered, she was hugged by Gao Wenhui, a single and gossip-loving girl, who was more excited about others being in love than being in love herself.

“Nanshu, you and Jiang Qin are back late from your lovey-dovey time?” Gao Wenhui teased.

Bending to change her shoes, Feng Nanshu replied, “Jiang Qin didn’t kiss me.”

Gao Wenhui explained, “She means intimate actions between lovers, like holding hands and kissing.”

Feng Nanshu shook her head again, “I know, but we didn’t do any of that.”

“You mean you and Jiang Qin never held hands or kissed?” Gao Wenhui exclaimed, as if she had stumbled upon juicy news.

“No.”

“Then what exactly do you do when you return so late every day?”

“Let him touch my feet.”

Gao Wenhui blurted out in shock, “No holding hands or kissing, just touching feet? Even I find that bizarre, and I’m the weird one!”

“Friends can only touch feet, holding hands and kissing are for lovers,” Feng Nanshu said softly, changing into her pajamas.

“Who taught you these principles?”

“I figured them out myself.”

Gao Wenhui was stunned, “You’ve really been shaped into his ideal type by Jiang Qin.”

“Not being lovers is good. Jiang Qin, that irresponsible jerk, doesn’t deserve Nanshu!” Fan Shuling, hearing Jiang Qin’s name, was inexplicably angry. She had previously known a jerk, who talked about being the best friend but ended up deeply hurting her. Therefore, she easily got irritated by such people.

Feng Nanshu hummed in dissatisfaction and decided not to talk to Fan Shuling for the night.

The next morning, sunlight spilled into the Linchuan University campus, shining through the window grilles onto the balcony in a golden glow. Jiang Qin was awoken by Wei Lanlan’s call before his alarm even went off.

“Hello? What’s up?”

“Boss, the deal fell through.”

Wei Lanlan had gone to Tongxing Driving School that morning for negotiations, asking for 70,000 yuan, but as expected, the talks collapsed.

Without accounting for labor costs, vehicle wear and tear, and fuel expenses, they would need to enroll twenty-five students just to break even. Considering the unknown conversion rate of the new forum, Tongxing Driving School was unwilling to be the first to take the risk.

Simply put, they didn’t believe Jiang Qin’s forum could bring them that many students, as the old forum had already provided a lesson.

Of course, they also made a counteroffer based on their budget – 20,000 yuan for full sponsorship.

Jiang Qin wasn’t surprised. He calmly accepted this and outright refused their offer.

But Tongxing Driving School was one of the few big players in Linchuan University. If they could only offer 20,000, there was no point in asking other businesses.

“Boss, what should we do now? Negotiate with other sponsors?”

“It’s too late. You go handle other things, I’ll figure this out.”

“?”

Jiang Qin didn’t explain further and sat up from his bed.

…

AN: Thank you to my first leader, “A Serious Person Doesn’t Fall in Love”. I am overwhelmed with gratitude, dancing with joy, reveling in the spring breeze, elated beyond measure.

TL: That’s a donation worth a little less than 100 USD.

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